Here’s a two-voice readers’ theatre setting which combines two of the
scripture readings for Lent 1A: Romans 5: 12-19 and Genesis 2:15-17,
3:1-7. For an alternative setting of
Romans 5: 12-19, see this post.
Readers’
Theatre
(Genesis 2: 15-17,
3: 1-7; Romans 5: 12-19)
One: The Lord God placed the man in the
Garden of Eden
to tend and watch over it.
Two: But the Lord God warned him,
“You may freely eat the fruit of
every tree in the garden—
except the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil.
If you eat its fruit, you are sure
to die.”
One: The serpent was the shrewdest of all the
wild animals the Lord God had made.
One day he asked the woman,
Two: Did God really say you must not eat the
fruit
from any of the trees in the garden?
One: Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in
the garden,
It’s only the fruit from the tree in
the middle of the garden
that we are not allowed to eat.
God said, ‘You must not eat it or
even touch it;
if you do, you will die.’
Two: You won’t die!
God knows that your eyes will be
opened as soon as you eat it,
and you will be like God, knowing
both good and evil.
One: The woman was convinced.
She saw that the tree was beautiful
and its fruit looked delicious,
and she wanted the wisdom it would
give her.
So she took some of the fruit and
ate it.
Two: Then she gave some to her husband, who was
with her,
and he ate it, too.
At that moment their eyes were
opened,
and they suddenly felt shame at
their nakedness.
So they sewed fig leaves together to
cover themselves.
(Pause)
One: When Adam sinned, sin
entered the world.
Two: Adam’s sin brought death, so
death spread to everyone,
for everyone
sinned.
One: Yes, people sinned even
before the law was given.
But it was not counted
as sin because there was not yet any law to break.
Still, everyone
died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—
even those who did not
disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did.
Two: Now Adam is a symbol, a
representation of Christ, who was yet to come.
But there is a great
difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift.
For the sin of this one
man, Adam, brought death to many.
But even greater is
God’s wonderful grace
and his gift of
forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.
One: And the result of God’s
gracious gift
is very different from
the result of that one man’s sin.
Two: For Adam’s sin led to
condemnation,
but God’s free gift
leads to our being made right with God,
even though we are
guilty of many sins.
One: For the sin of this one man,
Adam, caused death to rule over many.
But even greater is
God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness,
for all who receive it
will live in triumph over sin and death
through this one man,
Jesus Christ.
Two: Yes, Adam’s one sin brings
condemnation for everyone,
but Christ’s one act of
righteousness brings a right relationship with God
and new life for
everyone.
One: Because one person disobeyed
God, many became sinners.
Two: But because one other person
obeyed God, many will be made righteous.
